


Breeze: Iron Man

by ConnieHooper



Series: Primrose Evans-Stark: Breeze Series [1]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Bisexual Tony Stark, F/M, Godfather Rhodey, Godmother Pepper, Iron Man 1, Irondad, James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark Friendship, Parent Tony Stark, Protective James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Protective Jarvis (Iron Man movies), Protective Tony Stark, Stark Daughter Story, Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-13 06:40:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29772159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ConnieHooper/pseuds/ConnieHooper
Summary: Primrose Maria Evans-Stark, born on October seventeenth at six thirty-five in the morning, was the best thing that ever happened to Tony Stark after the tragic loss of his parents.And he wasn’t going to let anything happen to her.
Relationships: (IMPLIED), James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark, Past Tony/OC - Relationship, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark
Series: Primrose Evans-Stark: Breeze Series [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2188143
Comments: 4
Kudos: 4





	1. October 17th, 2001

**Author's Note:**

> PLEASE READ THIS NOTE BEFORE STARTING!!
> 
> This is part of my official Breeze story. I'm re-writing that mess, it's still on my profile and I've written until 'Age of Ultron', but if you want a better story-telling and a correct timeline, please stick to this one and be patient. It'll be worth it!
> 
> PLEASE READ THIS NOTE BEFORE STARTING!!

**(Tw: mentions of abortion)**

**January 2001**

Thirty-two-year-old Tony Stark was starting to adapt to his hangovers and hazy recollections that originated from his wild nights at the mercy of booze and sex with women and men that he would never remember again. Those nights weren’t meant to be relived within the genius’s mind, because both parties got what they wanted: Tony managed to keep his status as a successful playboy and the strangers that he seduced got to consume one night with the prominent Tony Stark.

It was going to be the last night before the U.S.A entered a new century and Tony wanted to start it with a loud (and obnoxiously wealthy) party. This time—instead of flying to another country or attending a random celebrity’s party he had been invited to—the industrialist had decided to throw a party in his own house something that Happy Hogan (his private bodyguard turned friend) frowned upon on.

He thought it was dangerous to let a crowd of strangers inside the billionaire’s, technologic-advanced mansion. Tony admonished his paranoia by reminding him that Jarvis was more than a natural-language user interface computer system that controlled his coffee machine every morning—the witty A. I was also in charge of the mansion’s security.

The party happened, either Happy’s paranoid ass liked it or not.

And it went well, everyone had fun. Especially for the bodyguard himself, that after drinking a few beers got loose enough to start having fun.

Little did the two (and the A.I) knew that during the party, a breach of security had been compromised right under their noses.

His selective memory seemed to remind him of something that was deemed important.

An hour before the countdown, after tirelessly socializing and circling the many guests that had shown up, with always a glass of King of Whiskey, Jack Daniels or Johnnie Walker on his hand—Tony finally found someone interesting to spend the rest of the night with while he nursed an Old Fashioned.

A certain pair of innocent, brown eyes looked around anxiously. She seemed young, but not enough for him to feel like a cradle snatcher. And she was pretty, and a breath of fresh air.

When Tony approached the blonde, he asked her as many questions about her life as he could—because he knew that women wanted someone to hear them. And after a good half-an-hour of idle chinwag, Tony managed to convince her to follow him to his suite.

He kept reminding his drunken mind that her name was Emma. Emma the college student. Emma was studying at California-Berkeley and was taking her bachelor’s degree in Psychology.

Emma was also a virgin.

He got to sleep with a virgin. And Tony almost didn’t do it out of pity—and because his self-hatred screamed at him for thinking about deflowering a kind, young woman—but he rarely gets to have sex with someone he didn’t have to worry about STDs. So, he didn’t feel like wearing protection and Emma didn’t seem to mind either. In fact, if Tony remembers correctly, she seemed to have enjoyed her first time more than he did—and he was only fifteen when it happened.

When Tony woke up in the new century, Emma was gone. And he found himself being a little disappointed at that, she was so striking that he was going to offer to pay the rest of her tuition just for that amazing night.

Tony still remembered her name as he continued with his life, and that was a wonderment for the bachelor. He couldn’t even recollect what he had for breakfast on the same day.

He tried to shake it off. After all, he would never see Emma again.

Five weeks later, the world was relieved that January finally reached its end. The New Year's excitement had dimmed and to hear a ‘have a good year, sir’ from his employees would make Tony roll his eyes.

But he still showed up for work, because he had people counting on him.

Such as Obadiah Stane—Tony’s mentor and old friend of the Stark family. Tony trusted the older man with his industry and in exchange it made the billionaire’s life much easier.

And it got even better when he hired Virginia “Pepper” Potts just last year. Her presence in Tony’s life made him feel happy to get out of bed just to hear her voice calling him out on his mistakes for his own good without fearing the consequences of her snarky tone. Their friendly bantering made Tony soar, and he was glad that she wasn’t intimidated by who he was. Besides, Tony could feel that Pepper genuinely cared about his industry and health—she would remind him that eating cheeseburgers every day wasn’t ideal, or even a proper lunch.

Tony was terrified of realizing why he was so eager to see her, to hear her praising him, or even give him an exasperated look—for now, he just wanted Pepper in his life, nothing else.

But, even when he thought about Pepper’s bright blue eyes, Tony still found his mind drifting back to the brown ones from the party. And that made his stomach churn.

* * *

**February 2001**

Emma, the woman whose eyes wouldn’t leave Tony’s head, was currently in a state of anxiety and misery.

The year had started well enough for Emma, she got to lose her virginity to a famous and wanted bachelor that, as soon as he knew that she had zero experience in sex, made her night and was a gentle lover. He earned her respect for being so friendly as well, and attentive. Tony Stark turned out to be someone completely different, and in a good way.

But then it came all crashing down in less than two weeks.

Joan, her roommate and best friend for almost four years had announced that she had dropped out of college and that she was leaving to go back home in San Francisco. It was all so sudden, and Joan insisted that Emma did nothing wrong—and that they still would remain friends—but seeing Joan change her life so suddenly and without even warning her in advance hurt Emma immensely.

Especially since Joan was the only friend that she truly trusted with the news that Emma discovered just three days after she left.

She was pregnant.

Currently, inside of her bathroom, she glared hatefully at her reflection in the mirror. Emma had shouted obscenities that self-deprecated the young woman and her choices in life.

Her long, straight blonde hair was tangled and mildly greasy from the depressive state of not caring about her well-being after sleepless nights of thinking about her future now that she had a fetus growing inside her body—some of the mascara that she managed to apply today was all smudged from the crying caused by a panic attack—making her brown eyes not so innocent-looking anymore.

She nearly punched the mirror while calling herself a whore. And reminiscing about her ex-best-friend only made the situation even more resentful.

Emma began settling the blame on Joan in a despairing effort to feel better. If only she hadn’t convinced her to come along and sneak into Tony Stark’s New Year’s party—if only Tony hadn’t been so charming and suave.

If only she hadn’t spread her legs and foolishly conceded him to sleep with her without protection.

Instead of getting an STD, she got a baby. Tony Stark’s baby, to be exact.

But Emma’s accusing attitude dissipated when she started being reasonable about her condition. It wasn’t Joan’s responsibility that she was pregnant, she didn’t tell Emma to consume the night with Tony. It was the blonde that allowed Tony to entice her, she was the one that had been determined to finally lose her virginity and begin the year with a literal bang. To a famous billionaire, nonetheless.

Everything was ruined now, at least that’s how Emma felt about the whole ordeal. She was twenty-one years old, her bachelor’s degree in psychology was almost finished—and not she threw that all away because of a one-night stand that ended up giving an unwanted life within her body.

Emma, of course, thought about abortion right away. It was her life, her body—she could do whatever the hell she wanted with it.

But, she lost the nerve to actually do it. Because as the days passed by, her mind found distractions as she focused on her studies and thought about how to tell Tony fucking Stark that the baby being developed inside of her body was his. She wasn’t stupid, Emma knew that the man probably had women claiming to be carrying his baby just to have the perks of having a billionaire paying for child support or just for the sake of having the fame of being Tony Stark’s baby mama.

Her stomach churned at the thought. But Emma still wanted him to know—she was a college student, still paying for her tuition with some help from her parents.

* * *

**April 2001**

Being three months into the pregnancy, Emma knew there was no going back now. Deciding to keep the baby almost severed the relationship with her parents when she finally found the bravery to announce it to them. When they questioned who the father was, Emma decided to tell them right away—they almost didn’t believe her, but she insisted and even told them about sneaking inside his party with Joan.~

The phone conversation ended when her mother called her a whore before promptly hanging up.

Three depressing weeks passed where Emma cried herself to sleep, focused on her studies to distract herself from the shitty situation she was going through, and basically forced herself to remain healthy for the sake of the baby.

Emma might not think this pregnancy was ideal, but she was raised to be responsible and she knew her baby wasn’t to blame for her condition.

Fortunately, her mom called her and expressed how sorry she was about what she called her daughter and then talked about her own story of when she found out she was pregnant. Her dad felt the same way, albeit still a little disappointed, they were both accepting this time and they still loved her.

After the emotional phone call, Emma’s demeanor shifted. She stopped thinking that her baby was ruining her life, read books about single mothers that still managed to juggle their life between parenting and working at the same time.

She was still going to be a clinical psychologist and move to New York City to work there. And even though her parents, that lived in San Francisco, showed concern over having their pregnant daughter living so far away, and on an infamous city, Emma managed to persuade them into accepting it.

The reason why she had gone to Malibu in the first place was that Joan’s uncle and aunt lived there and they gladly welcomed them into their home for the holiday break. And just when Emma thought she was gonna have a relaxing break by the beach, Joan hears about Tony Stark’s party and the rest is history.

She missed her now estranged best friend. Emma wasn’t able to tell Joan about the pregnancy during the time they still swapped some e-mails because she could feel themselves growing distant. As the days passed, the communication between the two women began degrading until it ceased to exist completely—and now, Emma hasn’t spoken to Joan in two months.

And knowing she was about to begin a new chapter of her life, Emma decided to cut ties with Joan and move on.

* * *

**May 2001**

Emma found out she was having a girl two weeks after entering the fourth month of her pregnancy. She was thrilled, because even though she only cared about her baby’s health—she was hoping for a girl.

Now that her baby had defined sex—it all got too real, especially when she now could notice the baby bump. And so were the other people in her dorm building, who began spreading false rumors about who the baby’s dad was.

Emma amused herself with imagining how awed they’d be if they found out that was carrying Tony Stark’s child.

Speaking of which—Emma was finally setting her fears aside and began thinking about telling the industrialist. Not only he deserved to know, but she also knew she was entitled to receive some support from the man. She wasn’t as wealthy as he was, and a baby was very expensive. Plus, she still had to pay for her tuition.

The worst-case scenario would be Tony Stark not believing her or even if he did, not caring enough to be part of the baby’s life. Emma dearly hoped that wouldn’t be the predicament—she knew his wealth would allow her daughter to have a good life.

She began preparing herself, researching how to request a meeting with Tony Stark, which proved to be difficult. She couldn’t even reach Pepper Potts, his personal assistant.

But Emma wasn’t giving up so easily, summer break was around the corner so she was going to have plenty of time.

* * *

**June 2001**

After graduating with outstanding grades and an expectant future, Emma couldn’t believe that she was now five months pregnant. It was surreal each time she’d feel her daughter’s movements from inside her body—they felt like butterflies or flutters but it brought comfort for the college student to feel them.

Emma would return to begin her master’s degree, still keen on not quitting school because of her pregnancy.

And now that she was officially on break, Emma could finally travel to Los Angeles to Stark Industries and hope that he’d be there and he would want to see her.

She only could afford to stay in a motel for a week, so Emma hoped for the best.

* * *

Tony had awakened in the second week of June with a bad feeling churning around his stomach. Which was odd since he luckily found himself lying next to an undergarment male model that he had slept with the night before. And Tony, after leaving the sleeping model behind in the hotel room (which the billionaire paid for), actually had a nutritious and delicious breakfast, and was, to his bewilderment, hyped to do some work at Stark Industries.

But the anxious feeling never left his gut. Tony even lost the appetite to eat lunch because of it. Pepper scolded him lightly (and he loved every second of it), but she was easy on him since her boss was performing well during his work hours. She seemed to be in a good mood whenever he acted like a responsible adult, and he liked when she was happy.

An hour before he was about to go home, Pepper knocked on his office’s door before waltzing inside with an exasperated look on her beautiful face. And it seems that his agitation took the form of a pair of familiar brown eyes that belonged to a young woman trailing behind his assistant.

Yeah, Tony recognized those eyes instantly.

The woman introduced herself as Emma Evans, and Pepper had harrumphed towards her boss when her blue eyes glanced at Emma’s pregnant belly, silently telling him to be more considerate.

Tony offered Emma to sit down, which she gladly did. And Pepper kindly gave the woman a glass of water before they heard the reason why she was here.

And telling Tony Stark that the baby she was currently carrying was his came surprisingly easy for Emma to assert, even when Tony rolled his eyes at her—she didn’t even blink at his brushing retort because of how confident she was about her announcement.

She didn’t even wilt when Pepper mentioned that after a quick warning of a paternity test those women never contacted him again.

That is when Tony began sweating. Emma didn’t even look bothered.

That’s when the young woman recalled the billionaire about them meeting at his New Year’s party—and that they slept together. Emma wasn’t also too shy to mention that he had taken her virginity and that he was aware she was one—that is the reason he didn’t wear protection.

Tony cleverly evaded Pepper’s murderous stare as he stared at Emma instead.

It was obvious the assistant didn’t have any ill feelings towards Emma, after all, she was too young to understand the gravity of the situation. If this college student was indeed currently carrying Tony’s baby, then Pepper could already feel the incoming migraine and stress about keeping the whole ordeal a secret—at least for now.

Emma continued talking, telling them she wasn’t there to threaten Tony to give her money for her silence, and the billionaire’s patience run short—and nausea settling inside his stomach didn’t help to keep his outburst down. He asked her, with an accusatory tone, that if she didn’t want his money then why did she wait so long to tell him?

Emma, of course, was speechless. And so was Pepper, who knew Tony only raised his voice when he genuinely cared about the situation.

And then, the college student finally admitted to being scared. And her answer made Tony feel like a dipshit as Emma continued talking. She told them about her only friend leaving her before she found out about the pregnancy, she told them about almost losing her parents because of how shocked and disappointed they were, and she concluded her explanation by expressing how much she still wanted to finish her studies. Bills were piling up, her tuition was still being paid for and Emma felt guilty for letting her parents take care of that.

Then, in the heat of the moment, Emma bravely demanded Tony to pay for child support if he didn’t want to be part of their daughter’s life.

Suddenly knowing the baby’s gender was like a slap across Tony’s cheek. It was all he could think about while Pepper, who noticed how agitated the pregnant woman was becoming, soothingly asked her to calm down.

And as Emma began breathing normally, the assistant then snapped at her boss for him to get a grasp of the situation, warning him that this was his responsibility and that if the young woman was indeed pregnant with his child she expected Tony to act on with it—he made his bed and now he had to lie on it!

Tony suddenly began laughing, having a fit as well. He obviously startled the two women as he did—the billionaire himself had no idea why he began giggling so hard because he didn’t find the whole ordeal entertaining. The last thing that he wanted, at least for now, was to become a father. Just the idea of him being responsible for a baby’s life made the industrialist's headache.

He believed Emma. Looking at her eyes, Tony could see the obvious reality that she was not lying. But he had to admit that one of the reasons he couldn’t stop laughing was because of how quick Pepper was ready to protect and defend this younger woman. Christ, they just met.

Women could be fascinating, and now he just learned that he was going to be the father of a baby girl. That soon would become a teenager, who would soon realize how much of a terrible father Tony was. The billionaire could already feel the many doors being slammed in his face, the yelling about not wanting to see him ever again. The sleazy guys his daughter would possibly date just to get his attention.

That led the man to stop his laughter.

_Not on my watch._

He promptly apologized for laughing, he didn’t mean it in an insulting way. Then, without hesitation, he told Emma that he wanted to be part of their daughter’s life. But he couldn’t help to add a quip when he informed Emma not to take it personally when he said he didn’t want to have a steady relationship with her—or anyone, for that manner.

Emma was witty and promptly retorted that she had no intention of marrying him—because Tony wasn’t really her type.

After some lightly chuckling from Pepper and an amused smirk from Tony, the tension around the three people dispersed.

Tony then told Pepper to cancel any meetings he had for the rest of the remaining day. And then, he invited Emma to come with him back to his mansion in Malibu for them to converse more calmly and comfortably.

That’s when Happy Hogan met Emma Evans for the first time. When the personal driver was told to drive around the building and wait for his boss in one of the back doors, he didn’t know what to think. Maybe Tony did something eccentric that was going to bring attention from the media—but then he saw his boss walking out of the building with a young woman by his side, a pregnant young woman, nonetheless.

He wasn’t informed of the situation yet, but Tony respected Happy’s intelligence so he expected him to realize what was happening without having to spell it out. And so he did. Happy had a hunch this would occur after countless nights and mornings of driving Tony’s “dates” in and out of his mansion.

Tony Stark wasn’t perfect. With so many men, but especially women he was bound to make a mistake.

With a pregnant woman inside the car, it was safe to say that Happy has never driven so carefully in his entire life—and as Emma politely began talking to him, they both decided that they liked each other.

Half a day passed when Tony finally suggested a paternity test after the birth. And once again, Emma didn’t seem bothered by it and accepted his terms without hesitation. It was clear that, at this point, Tony understood that she was telling the truth.

The two ended up idly talking for the rest of the day, and Tony got to meet the mother of his possible daughter—and this time he wasn’t being attentive just to sleep with her, he genuinely cared.

Emma Evans was going to turn twenty-two years old in September, she was born in San Francisco and was studying to become a clinical psychologist at the University of California-Berkeley—which was only a fifty-minute drive by car and thirty-five minutes by train from her house.

Tony mentally noted that Emma probably liked being near her home.

But then Emma confused him by telling him about her plans for the future. Emma wanted to move to New York City and get a job there after she finished her studies. Her ambition earned his respect.

But then he started thinking, from San Francisco to Malibu was a six-hour drive. He was concerned about it but Emma brushed that off by easily stating she was fine with driving for that long. Tony, however, refused to believe in that, and seeing how tired Emma currently looked was the living evidence that he was right in not accepting having her pregnant self drive six hours.

Emma told him she was staying at a motel and he shut the idea of her returning to it right away, offering his best guest room to the young woman instantly. Emma didn’t want to accept it so easily, but she had to admit that perhaps, a mattress from Tony Stark’s mansion would be better than the one in the cheap motel—her back was still a little sore from sleeping in it.

After they had dinner together, with some dessert, Emma gave Tony a gift before she retrieved to her room. He didn’t seem to understand what it was at first, so Emma amusedly explained that it was the baby’s ultrasounds. From the first one to the most recent.

Tony could see the shape of the baby as she grew inside Emma’s belly. And he couldn’t help to give Emma a thankful smile for her gift.

He then waited until she left him alone to finally have a mild panic attack. And Jarvis, who had been quiet all this time, offered some comfort and advice followed with a congratulations notice.

As he watched the starry sky from his bedroom, Tony held the ultrasounds close to his chest and closed his eyes, listening to the ocean waves down below the cliff.

The bad feeling had vanished, but the anxiety remained.

How was he going to be a good father?

* * *

**August 2001**

Tony was now starting to take action on his plans for a nursery in his mansion. Even though it wasn’t affirmed yet that he was the baby’s father, he found himself trusting Emma enough to know that he was. Pepper seemed to have a feeling about Emma being honest as well—she even helped her boss pick clothes, coordinate the colors, and warn him to not buy too many toys, which Tony visibly ignored when he brought home an eight-foot-tall pink teddy bear holding a heart-shaped sign that said ‘welcome’.

That would never fit in a hospital room.

And speaking of which, Tony had already planned everything for the birth. He, of course, took himself to ask Emma first, since the young woman had temporarily moved in for the rest of the summer. Only after her approval, he managed to book a private hospital room and arrange a doctor that would keep the birth confidential—or else.

To make matters more solemn, Pepper and Tony had a debate about what would arise if the baby was truly his. How long did Tony and Emma want to wait until they had to tell the world? When this gets seized by the media, this baby would become the most prominent person in the world without even reaching her first birthday—so this was one of the situations where Tony became a real adult and took things earnestly.

The last thing Tony and Pepper wanted was to stress Emma. She was so big and far into the pregnancy, Tony was anxious about making her upset. This one time, Emma accidentally missed the last step while she was descending the staircase and almost fell—she managed to catch herself quickly but, at the same time, Tony had dived into the floor to try and catch her.

Emma almost peed herself when she laughed for half-an-hour.

The relationship between the two had improved throughout living together for the past months. They became friends, at least.

Happy, after being used to the idea that his boss was going to be a father, became giddy about having a baby around soon. And vowed to watch over the little one if Tony or Emma ever required him to. And when Tony finally announced it to Rhodey Rhodes, his best friend since the MIT years, the man was apprehensive at first but he was genuinely happy for his friend when Tony showed no regrets about it.

Tony didn’t forget the one time Pepper told him how lucky he had been, to impregnate a girl like Emma. He could’ve landed a dramatic girl that was money-hungry and Tony thought that if that ever happened, he would fight for full custody over the baby, even if he had to use all of his money to win it. But he didn’t need to worry, Emma was cool and kind.

But being seven months pregnant was tough, especially during August. California was hot and sunny almost all year round and Emma sought comfort inside the mansion, with the air conditioner spread all over the walls. Sometimes she would be irritable and snap over the smallest of things, but Tony never argued back, knowing this was her hormones talking.

On a warm night, Tony invited Emma’s parents and welcomed them for dinner. Meeting Abigail and Arthur Evans was a rollercoaster for Tony, but he decidedly knew he liked them.

Arthur was a serious man with a brooding attitude that surely loved his daughter and wife more than anything. The two shook hands and Tony managed to hold down a small squeak at how much strength the man had used.

And Abigail was a very preoccupied woman that had fretting tendencies and showed a fierce protectiveness over Emma that impressed Tony. She was in awe with everyone too, not used to seeing luxury so close.

The Evans family had a strong bond, and that made Tony recall his relationship with his own parents, especially with his father–and it didn’t sit well.

Abigail and Arthur ended up falling for Tony’s charm, and they left on good terms with the billionaire that had seduced and impregnated their daughter.

* * *

**September 2001**

Everyone was on high alert about Emma.

She decided to continue her studies online and began her master’s degree in psychology on a laptop that Tony had created just for her, it was high-tech and ran very smoothly, allowing her to catch up with her studies without any concern.

Her belly was also the size of one watermelon now and she liked using it as a cup holder and watch her daughter move it around.

Emma and Tony also came to terms with a name as they watched a cliché slasher movie during one summer thunderstorm. The final girl of that movie was named Primrose, and even though the film was filled with cheap jumpscares and some lousy acting, this girl managed to shine and look badass as she destroyed the killer into pieces.

So, Emma decided to name her baby Primrose. And Tony liked it as well. However, he was nervous about the middle name suggestion.

Maria. To honor his late mother.

Emma was so touched when she saw how vulnerable he looked, she could never deny Tony that.

And so it was settled, their daughter’s name would be Primrose Maria Evans-Stark.

Tony was so thankful that Emma allowed his mother’s name to be included, and he was about to show his appreciation when Emma decided to shush him because the movie was reaching its final minutes.

When Emma turned twenty-two years old, Tony arranged a small gathering with her parents, Pepper, Rhodey, and Happy. They all brought Emma two gifts, one for her and the baby—and it kinda became a quick baby shower that Emma thought she wouldn’t have. The young woman was so thankful for having so many people that cared about her—even Joan didn’t cross her mind that day.

Obadiah Stane was not invited. Emma met the man once and told Tony he gave her bad vibes, and that he didn’t stop staring at her with an odd glint in his eyes. Tony laughed it off, explaining that he probably thought she was a gold digger—but he didn’t invite Obadiah anyways, respecting Emma’s request.

Little did Tony know that Emma’s hunch about Stane giving off bad vibes would return to punch him in the gut.

* * *

**October 2001**

On the sixteenth day, at exactly 9 p.m, Emma’s water broke.

Tony’s reaction was to let his brain take control over his body as if he was on auto-pilot mode and grab the hospital bag that he and Emma packed two weeks ago. He almost wanted to carry Emma inside the car but she insisted she could walk—the contractions were still mild so she was well enough to feel any sharp pain.

Fortunately for him, Pepper had been in the mansion as well, concluding some extra work and staying for dinner at Emma’s invitation. When the assistant got inside the car as the last person in the house, Happy drove gingerly at first on his way to the hospital, but when Emma started grimacing in pain and later crying, he sped up a little.

Everyone was nervous as Emma could feel the contractions getting most critical. Tony and Pepper both held each of the pregnant woman’s hands for comfort and support.

It took them half-an-hour to reach the hospital, and as soon as Happy parked the car, Tony bolted out of it to go warn the nurses inside while Happy helped Pepper carry Emma out of the car.

She wailing woman was brought to her private room and the doctor that was delivering the baby told Tony to dress up quickly to witness the birth of his daughter, or was he going to wait outside?

Tony was never going to forget Dr. Stephen’s Strange snarky attitude towards him. It was like he didn’t even want to be there, from what Tony could tell, this Dr. Strange wasn’t an OB-GYN and he was only temporarily settled in California but he wasn’t interested in this young man’s life story—if he delivered his daughter without causing any damage then Tony would be thankful. So he could be as snarky as he desired.

Happy and Pepper didn’t see Tony or Emma for the following five hours ever since they arrived at the hospital. Rhodey came one hour later, looking sweaty, still wearing his pajamas and with a clear concerned expression.

When Tony finally showed up again to grab a cup of coffee, his friends and co-workers jolted up from their sleepy state to bombard the man with many questions about Emma’s and the baby’s sake. It was almost 3 a.m so they were growing anxious.

Tony notified them that Emma was waiting to begin her pushing and when they all showed disappointment he added that Emma was also growing restless as well.

He then returned to Emma’s side after his coffee break, and three hours later, he ran inside the waiting room with tears still fresh on his cheeks and eyes and he happily told them that Primrose was finally here—and that she was a healthy baby and small as all hell.

The paternity test was being made as the group spoke to each other, but none seem to care about the results anymore. Because even though Happy was just his private driver/bodyguard, Pepper was his P.A, and Rhodey was his best friend—they were all too fond and attached to Emma and the baby to let them go.

And when the test confirmed that Tony was surely the father, his instincts had already established that months ago.

He was holding his bundled daughter, which hilariously resembled a pink burrito as she slept soundly, and he couldn’t believe that he made her. He was her daddy. And even though a bothersome voice in the back of his head echoed through his mind about how much of a terrible father he was going to be, Tony chose to ignore it for now as he relished the sight of his baby girl resting peacefully and secured in his arms.

Primrose Maria Evans-Stark, born on October seventeenth at six thirty-five in the morning, was the best thing that ever happened to Tony Stark after the tragic loss of his parents.

And he wasn’t going to let anything happen to her.


	2. First Time Parenting

**Primrose's age: 4 months old**

**San Francisco, California**

**February 20th, 2002**

**6:22 PM**

After recovering from giving birth to Primrose, Emma returned to Tony's place and stayed there for two weeks before going back to her place in San Francisco. It has now been four months, and she had to admit that they were doing a solid job with their planned custody. The parental schedule was alternating weeks between each other, so Primrose would live at Tony's place for a week and then switch over to Emma's, making the transition every Friday at six in the afternoon.

It was hard the first time for Emma when she left Malibu, but Tony called once a day and she became less anxious as each week passed.

Emma continued with her college in an online manner, she didn't want to admit but the Stark laptop Tony gave her was a blessing because thanks to it she could study and still find the time to focus on her internship and not get too stressed over her part-time job as a waitress in a small cafe near her place. The reason why she got the job was to save money for New York City-now that she had Primrose, she wanted to find a good home for them there.

When Tony found out about it, he offered to pay for everything until she could get a proper job in her psychology field-but Emma refused to have any more contributions from him. He already did so much for both of them and even though Emma knew buying an apartment for her wouldn't affect his finances as much as it would affect hers, it was a matter of pride.

Tony also managed to hire an attorney that signed a confidentiality agreement about Primrose's existence-just as Dr. Strange, the nurses, and the whole maternity wing from the hospital where Primrose was born had signed. Besides Tony and Emma, only Pepper, Rhodey, Happy, and Emma's parents were present during the signing, and Tony trusted Abigail and Arthur Evans enough for them not to tell people who their granddaughter's father was. At least for now.

Both new parents hoped these transactions wouldn't affect Primrose in the future, the last thing they wanted was to stress their daughter because of the constant flights. Emma even offered to give in and move to Tony's mansion if that ever happened, but until now she hasn't shown signs of separation anxiety or stress, Tony even said that she slept throughout every flight as if she was growing fond of it.

But not everyone was enjoying the predicament.

Abigail and Arthur made a lot of questions whilst trying to change their minds about how they were dealing with parenting Primrose. It seems that they expected, at least, Tony and Emma to marry each other since they got along well enough to be a couple. Arthur was a traditional man, that believed in the white fence dream for his daughter and even though he frowned on the idea of his daughter being together with a man who was ten years older than her, he still thought that marriage was the best for Primrose-to be surrounded by a functional family. And Abigail was a religious woman, which was enough to make Tony nervous whenever she brought up the topic of marriage.

Even though Emma loved her parents and Tony liked them as well, they could be overwhelming.

But there was one thing they were right about-Tony and Emma's relationship had improved over the past four months. They were already close when she was pregnant, but even after giving birth, the two continued growing fonder of each other.

And Tony found himself falling in love with Emma in the most platonic way. He couldn't consider her as a sister though, that would be weird and overall disturbing, but he would do anything for the mother of his baby and both had a silent agreement of wanting Primrose to grow up with her parents having a healthy relationship even if they're not together in a traditional way.

There was nothing normal about being Tony Stark's daughter.

Emma knew that.

She also knew that one day the world would know about Primrose, they couldn't keep her away from the media for too long. It was lucky enough that Primrose's existence has been unknown until today, but Emma was mentally preparing herself to see her daughter being the main target during the news.

However, Emma couldn't help but think about having a romantic relationship. How would this affect her love life? Would it be harder to find a genuine guy that doesn't want the clout? Would she ever be able to get married? Sure, some men are not looking for women that already have children-but to have a baby from Tony Stark?

That would be a good ice breaker for any first date.

Emma snorted as she unlocked her door. As if. She didn't even want to think about it at the moment, because right now, at this point in her life, she only cared about Primrose.

She closed the door behind her and sighed with relief for making it home after another busy day. Emma dumped her purse and peacoat on the couch and arched her back while groaning—from the corner of her eyes, she noticed her answering machine blinking, and with a knowing smile, she pushed the blinking button before sitting on the couch to take her shoes off.

The familiar voice of the father of her daughter began sounding from it.

_"Hey Em, just checking in and telling you that Prim is fine. She had a tummy ache and cried for almost an hour but she's sleeping right now, oh and I didn't forget to burp her this time after feeding her! Thanks again for leaving the breastmilk in the fridge, I almost forgot to put it in there. Anyways, I'll call you later and keep you posted. Also, check your e-mail I sent you cute pics of Prim. Love you!"_

She chuckled when the message ended.

Tony was definitely getting better at taking care of Primrose by himself. In the beginning, to not worry her, he would secretly call Pepper or Rhodey for help but he stopped doing it two months ago when he began reading books about parenting and babies. Emma was proud of how hard he was trying to be a good father.

During the first week that Primrose stayed with him, Tony would call Emma every other hour in a panicked state while questioning his actions and telling her he was probably doing everything wrong. There were times Emma had to keep Primrose during his weeks because of how busy he was but those days ended when Tony made an effort and become more responsible with his schedules.

Pepper, the saint, helped him manage a good calendar so he could divide his time with his daughter in a healthy way.

Tony made an effort, and even if he had to take his daughter to work, he wouldn't give up so easily.

But taking Primrose to work was a risky thing for him to do since no one knew about her existence, so, for now, Tony would continue working from home with no worries.

He had Obadiah to help him, anyways.

The interim CEO of Stark Industries was very understanding of Tony's situation and was quite supportive of Tony managing from home to be able to take care of Primrose properly. And even though Obadiah had been helpful during these months, Emma still felt as if there was something dishonest behind his kind gestures.

But it was all good, for now. Emma and Tony wanted Primrose to enjoy a life without being the most wanted baby by the media as long she could. But they couldn't be too naive about it, both parents knew that one someone was going to find out about Primrose being Tony Stark's daughter.

Emma sighed, resting against the cushion of her couch as she rubbed her eyes tiredly. She was starting to think about what to get for dinner when her bell rang, interrupting her train of thoughts.

The blonde rose from the couch and walked towards her door to look over the peephole—then she gasped, shocked to see who was on the other side.

When Emma opened the door, she had to brace herself to not lose balance and fall backward when Joan bounced towards her, wrapping her arms tightly around the blonde for an embrace.

"Emma! Oh my God, I missed you so much!" Joan cried.

Emma reluctantly hugged her back, thinking that it has been ten months ever since the two spoke to each other.

"Joan?" Emma managed to smile as the quirky brunette broke the hug and walked past her, inviting herself inside.

Emma closed the door and turned around to watch her estranged best friend take her jacket off, throwing it on the small sofa in the corner of the room. The blonde walked towards the other and gave her a pointed look, "Joan how have you been?" she questioned warily.

Joan grinned and let out a lengthy, relieved exhale as she scanned the room, "I've been fine! So much better! You changed the furniture, this place looks amazing," she laughed as if she had told a good joke.

"So, not to sound like I'm not happy to see you after you basically stopped answering my e-mails and calls ten months ago but, what the fuck are you doing here?" she stressed out, not giving Joan a sign that she was taking the ordeal lightly. Joan's abandonment came in a terrible time—Emma had just found out she was pregnant and she was alone for months before finally telling Tony about it. So seeing her again was making Emma both defensive and uncomfortable.

Joan's content appearance shifted into a crestfallen one, "Oh… yeah. I'm so sorry about that," she began, smiling sadly while wrapping her hands around herself, "I was depressed about having to quit college—I had to move back with my parents, it was embarrassing," Joan made her way to the kitchenette and since the apartment was small, it was connected with the living room and Emma watched her grab a cup and fill it with tap water.

Emma knew about her quitting, but she wasn't aware Joan had been depressed during that time. They usually told everything to each other so she didn't understand why Joan couldn't trust her enough with it.

"I'm really sorry about that, but you could have told me about it. I felt hurt when you left, it was all so sudden. But… is everything okay with you now?" Emma questioned while sitting down on the sofa, still feeling a little tired after working all day.

Joan nodded as she sipped her water, "Yup!" she gasped out after drinking it all in one go, "I'm so happy!" suddenly becoming less gloomy, Joan placed the cup on the sink and turned around to beam at Emma, "Do you want to know why I'm here? I'm getting married!" she announced gleefully, nearly skipping to sit next to the blonde on the couch.

Now Emma was, but wasn't, shocked at that.

She wasn't because, during their time together, Joan would always passionately rant about wanting to get married as soon as she graduated and have at least three children—Joan was a romantic that dreamed of having the white fence life.

Emma actually found that very sweet about her. So, even though her visit was unexpected and brought some bad memories into her, Emma couldn't help to still be happy for her.

"That's great news, Joan. I'm glad for you," Emma stated, giving her a genuine smile.

For Joan, Emma's approval was enough for her to start gushing comfortably about her future husband, "His name is Jack Danner. He was on a business trip to San Francisco and he saved me from being hit by a bicycle—he was a little too serious for my taste but then, oh Emma, then we started talking and he invited me for dinner and after dating for six months he asked me to marry him!" she explained with a dreamy look on her eyes, "He's so mature but he's caring as well! I'm so lucky…"

Emma tried not to roll her eyes, it all sounded so cliché for her.

"He lives in Chicago, I'm moving there."

Emma's brown eyes widened, "That's on the other side of the country!" she wanted to ask her how did her parents feel about that, but she wasn't able to when Joan promptly continued speaking at a fast pace.

"I want you to be my maid of honor," Joan stated, smiling brightly and ignoring the shocked look on the other's face.

"W-What? Joan, why me? I thought we weren't even friends anymore!" Emma sputtered, finding the whole situation strange and surprising.

Joan gave a hurt look, "Emma, we promised to be friends forever."

"We stopped talking!" she exclaimed heatedly, "Besides I can't just simply leave town, I have—" Emma quickly closed her lips together, stopping herself from spilling out her secret. Joan didn't know about Primrose, and Emma wasn't sure if she wanted to tell her.

"What? You have what?" Joan pressed, looking temperamental.

"I was pregnant when you left." Emma admitted, looking at her lap to avoid Joan's eyes, "I would've told you, but you left. Then we stopped talking and I felt like it wouldn't matter anymore."

Joan rose from the couch and Emma, startled at the sudden movement, looked at her for a reaction. She saw the brunette looking at her with a bewildered expression, her hands dramatically covering her mouth.

"Y-You– _WHAT?!_ " Joan screeched, and instead of anger, Emma winced at the delight in Joan's voice, "EMMA! OH MY GOD! This is so exciting! This is— wow! You bitch! I can't believe you didn't tell me you got pregnant…" Joan's voice trailed off, becoming smaller and vulnerable as she realized that she was the one guilty for not knowing about it, "Oh… Emma, I'm so sorry…" she sat again, taking in Emma's hand to squeeze it comfortably, "You found out when I left, didn't you?"

Still a little shaken by the outburst, Emma only managed to nod quietly, afraid of what she might say if she actually spoke up.

Smiling sadly, Joan teared up at the thought of Emma being alone during her pregnancy, "What's the baby's name?" she asked gently.

That Emma could answer easily, "Her name is Primrose," she gladly told her with a small simper.

"Primrose," Joan repeated, adoring the way it sounded, "That is so beautiful…"

"Thank you."

Suddenly, the brunette's eyes widened "Oh shit! Who's the father?!" she gasped, "Holy shit, it's the mystery guy from Stark's party, isn't it?"

Emma gawked, astonished, as Joan kept firing questions, and not even once she found the time to reply to them. She could only lean back on the couch and let the excited woman vent about the bomb that was just dropped on her.

Emma only hoped Tony was doing better than she was.

* * *

**Malibu, California**

**7:14 PM**

Jarvis was beginning to think that his creator has developed an anxiety trait that makes him check on Primrose's nursery every ten minutes.

Tony's intrusive thoughts about his daughter's safety were making him anxious.

_What if she turned on her crib and suffocated to death?_

_What if she was crying but he couldn't hear her?_

_What if a pillow falls on her face and she stops breathing?_

He inhaled and exhaled deeply as he stood before the crib, staring at Primrose, who was peacefully sleeping and unaware of the constant visits that could've disturbed her slumber.

"She's fine, it's fine..." he whispered, convincing himself before raising his voice a little, "JARVIS is her heart good? How is her pulse? Her uh, her vitals?" he asked softly, not wanting to wake her up.

_"Sir, I am happy to inform you that as twenty minutes passed, Ms. Evans-Stark finds_ _herself still perfectly healthy and with normal vitals,"_ Jarvis replied, his robotic voice amused.

Tony embraced the sass, it relaxed him, "Okay so, if I were to go to my workshop and work on some stuff, you'd warn me right away if she wakes up, right?"

_"Right away, sir,"_ Jarvis replied.

The thirty-two-year-old didn't move, even when Jarvis' reassurance that Primrose was fine, his feet refused to budge. But then Tony gave up, he groaned with defeat and resolved to relax on the rocking chair next to the cradle, continuing watching Primrose, who was unaware of her overprotective father observing her sleeping.

Tony began reminiscing more about his father ever since Primrose was born. He remembered Howard Stark as a strict father who was more interested in his job and finding Captain America than giving the attention and fatherly care Tony earned as a kid.

Did Tony hate his father? He didn't know anymore. But he did wish he could've told Howard that he loved him before his parents left to perish in that tragic car accident.

He shut his eyes and suppressed those memories. For Tony, the present was what mattered now.

Primrose was his everything now, and Tony decided a long time ago that he wasn't going to be like Howard when raising her. No private schools, no shutting her out, no forbidding her from watching him work—more freedom and less strictness.

He didn't want his daughter growing up resenting him for not being present, from being a distant father. He didn't want to be an estranged figure in her life, a father that a child isn't proud to talk about with their friends and that made Primrose uncomfortable.

No, he wanted to be a good father.

Tony has changed ever since she was born. His love for his daughter was enough for him to stop bringing random women and men home. Tony was also trying to slow down with the alcohol, finding quitting it for good too hard. Emma advised him to never drink whenever he had the week with Primrose and that was good enough for Tony.

His best friend supported his decision.

Rhodey was chosen to be Primrose's godfather because this man was the closest Tony had to a brother. The two have been friends for sixteen years, and there was no way Tony wasn't making Rhodey the godfather of his kid—Emma was completely fine with it as well.

And Pepper, even though Tony hired her only five years ago, was made godmother because Emma developed a quick friendship with the redhead, and Tony didn't mind, he trusted Pepper and he wanted his daughter to have a godmother.

Speaking of Rhodey, now that Primrose was settled in he'd been visiting more, and Tony jokingly presumed he wasn't here to see him, but a certain bundle of joy that has become more talkative with her babbling each day.

Tony couldn't believe it has been four months ever since she was born.

He couldn't take it now, so how was he going to act when Primrose turns a year old?

* * *

**Primrose's age: Eight months old.**

**June 21st, 2002**

The damaged friendship between Emma and Joan had been restored, and the two were now close friends again. Four other months have passed ever since Joan entered Emma's life again, and even though it was rough at the beginning, the two managed to talk through about their feelings and patch up old wounds from the past.

But with Joan now living in Chicago with her husband, the two would have to seriously commit to keeping the promise to contact each other every week to keep their friendship intact.

Joan's wedding was a month ago, and when Emma met Jack she instantly knew what Joan meant by 'serious' and 'mature'. The man was extremely polite but Emma felt the genuine love he had for Joan. They might've been the opposite, but it was like they were made for each other.

Joan also met Primrose at the wedding, but Emma still hasn't told her about who her daughter's father was, and truthfully, after being serious about it, Joan now respected Emma's plea of not insisting on seeking who he was and wait until she was ready to tell her.

Tony and Emma fought the whole situation. He heard about Joan through Emma and he knew what the quirky woman did to her. Tony thought that Joan was unworthy of getting inside the trust circle—even though the two were friends again, he still couldn't see past Joan suddenly leaving Emma behind. Sure, he knew Joan was unaware of the pregnancy when she left, but Tony still thought Joan was too loud, too intrusive, too meddlesome, too noisy—too much.

Emma couldn't judge him, Joan's personality sometimes would come off as too strong to some people. And besides, she couldn't force Tony to like Joan. So in the end, and feeling too tired to keep arguing about it, Emma assured Tony she wouldn't tell Joan that he was Primrose's father.

None of that seemed to be important though, Joan adored Primrose and didn't even attempt to sneakily ask Emma about the sensitive subject. And the blonde appreciated Joan sticking to her word and respecting her privacy.

The wedding went well, and they were able to properly bid each other a farewell before Emma returned to San Francisco with Primrose. promising to see each other one day.

Weeks passed by, and Emma's final exams went well enough for her to feel positive about her grades. And in the end, she was at the top of her class.

But it was now summer, and she was on her break. Emma now had the time to be more with her daughter, and Tony was more than happy to ignore the parental schedule for the summer and invite Emma to stay at his place until she wanted, for the rest of the summer if she wanted to.

Tony felt proud of Emma when her results arrived by e-mail. He respected her passion for becoming a clinical psychologist.

According to Emma, if everything went well for her, in three years she would be done with her Master's Degree. Even though it felt so far away, Tony knew she would be able to achieve it without even batting an eye—she was a strong-willed and intelligent woman so he was confident about it.

He would fund her clinic if he had to, but Tony hasn't told her that yet because he'd know she would argue against it.

They were both currently enjoying playtime with Primrose. There were toys all scattered on the spacious carpet from one of the rooms that has been converted into a baby-proofed area for Primrose to stay at.

The floor-to-ceiling windows allowed the room to be illuminated in natural light and Emma, who was sitting on the floor, played with her Primrose who was now capable of crawling and grasping objects.

Tony was proud to declare that his daughter was already able to self-feed herself, he urges Jarvis to record his baby girl every time she would eat pieces of sliced fruit by herself to later show Emma, Happy, Rhodes, and Pepper.

But, secretly, Tony began salvaging every short or long video about Primrose and storing them in a file on his private network. He was thinking of showing them on her eighteenth birthday, in front of her family and future, possible friends.

"Mama!"

Tony gasped and promptly called for Jarvis. By now the AI was accustomed to never stop a recording every time his young mistress did something new, even when Tony didn't request it, Jarvis was always punctual.

"She said mama!" Tony wheezed, gazing at Emma as if to see if he hadn't imagined it, "She said it! She spoke!" he exclaimed excitedly.

The blonde looked at the doorway, shocked to see him there so soon after he just announced to go back to his workshop, "Jesus, Tony, where did you come from? I didn't hear you!" she reprimanded him, setting Primrose on her lap as the baby clung onto her favorite toy—it was a blue bunny plushie.

"She. Said. Mama!" he repeated, making Primrose notice her dad and squeal with delight as she beamed at him. Primrose let go of her bunny and her pudgy, cute arms sprang to grasp for him.

Emma laughed when Tony threw himself on the carpet. kneeling in front of his daughter, as he reached for her. Emma was already handing her to him in a gentle way and he carefully settled her down on his lap.

Primrose instantly took hold of his finger with her small, smooth hand and squeezed it, making Tony feel alive.

"She started saying, mama, when she woke up, Jarvis recorded everything, don't worry," Emma explained, looking fondly at the way Tony kissed Primrose's head, his eyes were sealed and he looked lost in the moment.

"So she's talking," he mumbled after a few seconds, "Too soon."

The blonde chuckled at his small grumble, "Tony she's not talking, she's babbling. It's normal, I read it in a book that babies may already be saying and, or they may be just baby-babbling at this age. Either way, we can't be anxious about it or Prim will feel our anxiety," she stated as she gently finger-combed through Tony's messy hair.

He leaned into her touch, feeling grateful that she was around.

"How was work?" Emma asked conversationally as Primrose tried to reach for her blue bunny again.

Tony hummed shortly, "Boring. I miss you two all day."

"How's Pepper?"

"She's fine, she's happy that I'm actually doing some work," he mumbled a little childishly as he helped Primrose get to the bunny.

"Happy?"

"He's fine too, keeps asking about Prim."

Emma smirked, "How about Rhodes?"

"I talked with him over lunch, he didn't even ask how I was, he only asked about Prim as well," Tony pouted a little, watching his daughter grab her plushie in mild awe. They grow up so fast.

Tony then heard Emma chuckle, so he resumed talking, "I feel like no one cares about me anymore. I'm kinda jealous of Prim," he stated, trying to keep a solemn, but hurt appearance.

Emma shrugged, feigning nonchalance, "It's your fault for having a cute kid."

Tony wheezed this time, but he immediately recovered as he struck a pose while he pretended to comb his hair backward, "It's the Stark genes, anyone would be blessed if they had it."

Emma snorted at his silly act, "Maybe they already have, who knows how many other kids you might have."

Primrose babbled loudly, making both adults stop their friendly bantering and watch her. She seemed pleased at the attention, so she continued playing with the bunny.

There was a long pause of just watching when Emma finally spoke.

"It seems that, like a true Stark, Primrose likes to be the center of attention."

Tony, uncharacteristically, agreed.

**Author's Note:**

> Leaving Kudos and a comment would make me very happy :)


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